Monthly Archives: January 2018

Mike Morrish led today’s Forum meeting. He said that the whole city is rarely the subject for photography, rather it is the context for work around architecture and human activities. He argued that cityscape photography only starts in the early … Continue reading →

Fritz Spiegl trawled Britain’s graveyards and collected a mass of comic and curious memorial inscriptions. They were collated into A Small Book of Grave Humour, first published in 1971. Among the entries was: ‘Here lays John Tyrwitt, / A learned … Continue reading →

This house in Berlin, Maryland, displays three American icons: a stoop, a Bald Eagle and the Stars and Stripes. I can’t claim to know the United States very well – just three visits as a tourist – but I get … Continue reading →

Today the Forum blind-viewed around 20 portraits submitted by members, from formal studies to snapshots and street photography to documentary shots. As such it was like comparing apples and oranges and pears and melons and posed the overarching question, ‘What … Continue reading →

‘After breakfast we drove from Berlin to Assateague Island, which lies off the coasts of Maryland and Virginia. It’s a long – 37 miles – sandy barrier island with dunes and wind-formed pine trees between the Atlantic to the east … Continue reading →

‘Contrails present a bit of a dilemma for cloudspotters. On the one hand, they are both interesting to observe and often very beautiful. …. On the other hand, there is growing evidence that the preponderance of contrails is having a … Continue reading →

The Hand. ‘Ray Kaskey worked with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials to create a sculpture that would reflect their mission. From early on, Kaskey conceived of a monumental work that would dominate the space in a dramatic way and … Continue reading →

In the autumn of 1942 American airmen arrived in Britain at bases in East Anglia for the start of bombing offensives in Europe. ‘The boys of [the USAAF 8th Air Force] personalised their planes with images and cartoons, preferring a … Continue reading →

‘”No,” Hale said. “I’ve got to be getting on.” – Getting on. Down the front, mixing as quickly as possible with the current of the crowd, glancing to right and left of him and over each shoulder in turn. He … Continue reading →

My photo book A Piece of Ephemera included 15 photographs of urban wrappings, from bridges to mannequins and statues to whales. This one didn’t get through the editing, probably a mistake, if only because the contents of these curious parcels … Continue reading →